By Mary Wolbach Lopert

How would you like to permanently cross off one chore from your list? Ron Fox of Summit Valet Dry Cleaning will pick up your clothes, bed spreads and leather goods, have them expertly cleaned and/or repaired. The garments are returned to you, leaving you with time on your hands.

Summit Valet has been serving Boulder County since 1996. Although the service is new to the area, Ron has been in the dry cleaning business for over 19 years. His father Jack started the business in 1949 when he began picking up and delivering dry cleaning in Beverly Hills and Bel Air, Calif. Ron continued this service by adding Pacific Palisades and Malibu to the delivery area. After a vacation to Colorado, Ron, his wife Ann, a teacher in Commerce City, and daughter Rachel, a student at Platt Middle School, decided to move and continue their unique business here.

"I am the only independently owned and operated dry cleaning delivery service in Boulder County," Ron stated. "People think this service costs more, but it doesn’t. I also provide two day turn-around."

And the service is hard to beat. Customers can leave their clothes at a designated area in a bag provided by Ron. Each item is inspected for stains and necessary repairs.

After cleaning, Ron reinspects the garments to insure stains have been removed, items have been properly pressed and all repairs have been made. The overall appearance must meet Ron’s expectations of quality dry cleaning.

When the clothing is returned, customers will discover that paper shoulder covers have been added to keep dust off. For women’s clothing Ron uses tissue paper around the collars and in sleeves to prevent wrinkling during transportation or storage. For men’s shirts he adds plastic stays to keep collars crisp and neat. "I also separate ladies’ clothes from men’s so they don’t get mixed up when they are put away," he added.

"The cleaning process I use is the same as with other dry cleaners," he continued. As with other dry cleaners, perchloroethylene (perc) is used for cleaning. "Perc is a safe chemical," he stressed. If dried correctly there shouldn’t be any residue left on the clothing.

Summit Valet offers a full range of dry cleaning services. Ron will pick-up and clean:

All dry cleaning, including beaded dresses
Laundry
Suede and leather
Shoe and handbag repair
Sleeping bags
Down garments and comforters
Draperies

In these busy days, couldn’t we all benefit from one less chore?

Summit Valet’s pick-up schedule:

Monday and Thursday - Louisville, Lafayette and Rock Creek
Tuesday and Friday - Niwot, Gunbarrel, North Rim, Lake Valley and Boulder.

Customers are billed monthly. For more information call Ron Fox 303-530-1866.